Palin supports McCain '100 percent'

Declaring that she “was honored and proud to run with him,” former Alaska governor Sarah Palin pushed back hard Wednesday against a report that she had disrespected Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) by blacking out his name on a sun visor she wore on vacation.

The website TMZ accused Palin of “a frontal attack on Sen. John McCain” during a Hawaii vacation this week: “Sarah chose to wear a visor from her campaign — a visor that was emblazoned with the former presidential candidate's name ... that is, until Palin redacted McCain's name with a black marker.”

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But Palin said in a statement to POLITICO that she was just trying to “be incognito” — to go unrecognized and shield her children and husband, Todd, from paparazzi.

The hotel where she was staying had to chase away five photographers, a friend said.

Palin said in the statement to POLITICO: “I am so sorry if people took this silly incident the wrong way. I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago. So much for trying to be incognito."

The Palins were taking a break from a three-and-a-half-week book tour for her million-copy-selling memoir, “Going Rogue: An American Life.” Palin has signed more than 59,000 books — an average of 1,750 per stop — and has traveled more than 19,000 miles by plane and bus. She has spent 115 hours — or 4.8 days — signing books in 33 cities in 25 states. Her stops have included five military bases.

Palin is complimentary of McCain in the book: “John was a maverick, and he said he had picked me because in many ways I’m wired the same. … I was proud of the senator. … He didn’t go with a conventional, safer pick. John believed in change, the power of independent and committed individuals, the power of women.”

On election night, she writes, she wanted to deliver a concession speech so she could give “a shout-out to John.” She says she told him: “[Y]ou worked hard, and I want to get out there and thank you.” The staff did not permit her to address the crowd, but she writes that after McCain’s remarks: “I embraced John with affection and gratitude.”